We finally took Dubbers to the NY Transit Museum located in Brooklyn over his birthday weekend. While Dubbers has actually never been on a real subway, he is very familiar with them thanks to the book, Subway, and his motorized toy subway trains.
It was a quick 20-minute car ride from midtown and we found a parking lot just a few blocks from the museum. The entrance to the museum is very clever, but we missed it the first time we walked by! It is as if you were going down to a real subway entrance and you purchase tickets from an authentic ticket booth as well.
We were there on a Saturday afternoon and there was no line to get in and not crowded. The first section after entering is more historical information and facts, which Dubbers quickly breezed through. He enjoyed the row of turnstiles and getting in the old-fashioned ticket booth, but sitting in the driver seats of several model buses was definitely his favorite. He also pretended to pump gas in one of the city buses. The lower level of the museum is an actual subway platform with plenty of old and current subway cars to walk thru and explore. Hopefully when Dubbers takes his first subway ride, he will already be familiar with the tunnel and cars…will just have to get used to the NYC crowds!
I would definitely recommend visiting the NY Transit Museum, especially if your child is a fan of subways and buses. It is not loud or overwhelming. You are free to tour at your own pace and would make for a nice morning or afternoon activity.